had a thought...

[Archer]

I was just reading about case head separation and the current test with a paperclip or such with a 90 degree angle bent at the tip to feel inside the case for the tell tale grove. I was wondering if anyone has thought to use a bore scope to put eyes on, so to speak, inside the case to do this type of check? I would think this would be pretty quick with a unit such as the Lyman style where you have a screen to visualize the inside of the case. It might be a little cumbersome with the style where you have to place your eye on an eye piece, but the screen option seems to be quick.

Just a curious thought...

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I think itll work fine if theres no carbon in there but i think youd feel a groove before youd see it. Always good to have more tricks in your bag tho

 

[Lapua40X]

I've got the "look through" Hawkeye and have found that if I sonic-wave clean the brass and wipe out the inside with a Q-Tip I can get a good view of the case head region and identify problem cases before trouble strikes. However, it's a cumbersome chore and I'll bet the fibre optics scopes make it a lot easier.

 

[Sled2live]

I had the same thought and couldn't wait to try out my new Lyman Borescope in that capacity.....but found that the length of the camera and lens opening is too tall to see the head separation area on a 22-250 casing. I couldn't get the scope's lens down to the affected area.
Scott

 

[waldo1979]

You can buy an el chepo bore scope for $10-20. Here's an example:
http://amzn.com/B00JERRES6

 

[Archer]

You can buy an el chepo bore scope for $10-20. Here's an example:
http://amzn.com/B00JERRES6

I like, however the one you linked has an 8.5 mm head. Good for 338, but they do list one with a 5.5 mm head which would work. I like the amount of light it brings to the head and that I can use a computer for the screen. Thank you.

 

[Archer]

I had the same thought and couldn't wait to try out my new Lyman Borescope in that capacity.....but found that the length of the camera and lens opening is too tall to see the head separation area on a 22-250 casing. I couldn't get the scope's lens down to the affected area.
Scott

Thank you for your input, that is exactly what I was curious about...

 

[drumcorpschamp]

I saw the tell-tale light ring on the outside of a few cases a while back on a batch of brass. I had a match coming up that weekend and needed to find about 75 or so that could get me through that weekend until I could get another batch prepped.

I tried sorting with my Hawkeye bore scope and by feel with a stiff wire bent on the end at 90 deg. The quickest and most accurate results I had was by feel with the wire. With the bore scope, I could see the groove on the inside of each case but could not determine how deep it was.

The feel of the wire "showed" me how deep the groove was. And boy was it quicker!

Jerry

 

[brantfredrickson]

I've used the Neco case concentricity tool to weed out brass whose bodies have more that .005" case body wall variation. I wonder if this keeps one from having a head separations?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I've used the Neco case concentricity tool to weed out brass whose bodies have more that .005" case body wall variation. I wonder if this keeps one from having a head separations?

I doubt it. A good FL die, good chamber, good brass and common sense reloading techniques keeps it from happening. Ive been shooting thousands upon thousands of hot PPC rounds a year for 20 yrs now and ive never had a case seperation nor heard of anybody that knows what theyre doing have one either

 

[drumcorpschamp]

I doubt it. A good FL die, good chamber, good brass and common sense reloading techniques keeps it from happening. Ive been shooting thousands upon thousands of hot PPC rounds a year for 20 yrs now and ive never had a case seperation nor heard of anybody that knows what theyre doing have one either

Dusty,

I agree with you, especially your last sentence.

My above post referenced my first batch of Dasher brass. I didn't have enough neck tension, primers that were too hard and not enough jamb into the lands when fireforming. Experienced some misfires, backed out primers, inconsistent datum lengths at the shoulders, yada, yada.

Learning something every day!
Jerry

 

[Lapua40X]

You can buy an el chepo bore scope for $10-20. Here's an example:

Problem is that most of those are 8mm or larger ... kinda limits their use.

Here's one that's a bit smaller:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01533YPIQ/?tag=accuratescom-20

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Dusty,

I agree with you, especially your last sentence.

My above post referenced my first batch of Dasher brass. I didn't have enough neck tension, primers that were too hard and not enough jamb into the lands when fireforming. Experienced some misfires, backed out primers, inconsistent datum lengths at the shoulders, yada, yada.

Learning something every day!
Jerry

If you have to use hard primers try the false shoulder method

 

[ireload2]

A guy I once corresponded with was a Xray tech. He just lined up his brass and took a picture of it.
You could easily see the the pending separations easily with the radiograph. That was 15 or 20 years ago before the current digital systems were developed. Today a dental or other digital Xray system could take shots of brass and send it to a computer.

 

[waldo1979]

Problem is that most of those are 8mm or larger ... kinda limits their use.

Here's one that's a bit smaller:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01533YPIQ/?tag=accuratescom-20

The one I have is 5.5mm and just barely fits down a .22LR

 

[waldo1979]

also, I'm vaguely recalling someone mentioning taking case measurements near the base to watch for expansion.

My .308 brass has been flowing pretty significantly. I have to trim every other reload. I'm over working it a bit during reloading and am too cheap to buy a bushing die. My plan is to just throw it out after 10 reloads.

 

[Lapua40X]

The one I have is 5.5mm and just barely fits down a .22LR

Where'd you get that one? Got any manunfacturer or other data you'd care to share? The one you provided a link to is too large to be of much use ......
How is it for viewing what's along side the camera? Some only provide d tunnel view which isn't very useful.

 

[waldo1979]

Where'd you get that one? Got any manunfacturer or other data you'd care to share? The one you provided a link to is too large to be of much use ......
How is it for viewing what's along side the camera? Some only provide d tunnel view which isn't very useful.

I bought one from eBay and one from Amazon. They're both the same camera and software. They're both generically branded.

The video quality is poor but usable. I was able to get the camera to work on a Dell Venue tablet I had laying around. It's definitely not as good as a right angle professional grade bore scope, but you can definitely spot problems like copper build-up and scratches.

This is the model I bought:
http://amzn.com/B00N4L5N4A

 

[Lapua40X]

This is the model I bought:
http://amzn.com/B00N4L5N4A

Thanks, Waldo.